Senior Counsel UK (10+ PQE) - Rail Sector Experience

*Must have rail sector experience*

Responsible to:                UK General Counsel

The Senior Counsel UK will be responsible for delivering integrated commercially-focused legal solutions and support to the UK business to achieve its strategic objectives in a compliant manner.  Reporting to the UK General Counsel, this role will be a key player in the UK Legal team.

The Senior Counsel UK will provide strategic advice, guidance and support that enables the business to achieve its strategic mission in a way that minimizes legal and compliance risk for the business.

The role potentially includes the full spectrum of legal matters from litigation to employment, general commercial advice to major project tendering and contracts, procurement, project execution and contract management.
 

Key Responsibilities:

• Leading and owning the legal support for one or more of the business unit’s major UK commercial projects, including bidding, structuring, negotiation, contracting, procurement, contract execution, contract management and dispute resolution all as required.
• Working with cross-functional teams in the business unit and Corporate team in the analysis and approval of legal, commercial and reputational risks in relation to bidding and commercial negotiations and their mitigation and management.
• Collaborating with the global compliance function to maintain and develop compliance processes, conducting training and investigations, and helping to build a strong ‘compliance culture’.
• Developing and delivering advice, training, templates and tools and processes to improve the standard of contracting, tendering, negotiation, sourcing and procurement practices.
• Representing the Legal function on cross-functional teams, building relationships and counselling stakeholders on legal commercial and reputational risk, in a user-friendly and pragmatic manner.
• Helping to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, supporting the business on legal matters including contractual, commercial and corporate, litigation, regulatory compliance, contract management, document management, etc.
• Assisting as needed with corporate governance and approval requirements, company secretarial requirements, regulatory, litigation and disputes, intellectual property, real estate, and employment matters.
• Engaging and actively managing the services of outside counsel across a wide spectrum of legal disciplines within budget.
   

The Candidate

It is our expectation that applicants should possess the following qualifications and experience:

• Degree in Law or equivalent, admitted to practice in a UK jurisdiction
• 10-15 years’ PQE in top tier international law firms or industrial companies
• Must have rail sector experience

In addition, the successful candidate should be to demonstrate all of the attributes and skills listed below:

• Sound knowledge of UK law and practice; familiar with common contracting schemes (PPPs, EPC contracts, LTMAs, alliance agreements, joint ventures, consortia) public and private procurement and infrastructure financing.
• Strong negotiation and risk management skills, able to operate at multiple levels including with customers, suppliers and other stakeholders.
• Familiarity with global compliance practices as implemented in industrial businesses including anti-bribery, antitrust, data privacy etc. and enforcement thereof.
• Familiarity with UK corporate governance processes and regulations, and capability to deal with corporate documentation.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills, listening, influencing and presentation skills, ability to work and communicate in a diverse global organization.
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks simultaneously, strong at problem-solving and critical thinking, business and financial acumen.
• Team player, with cultural awareness and curiosity, willing to work with other functions and members of the global Legal & Compliance team on joint initiatives.
• Absolute integrity and trustworthiness.

Contact Sarita Rai for more information
E: srai@ckgsearch.com
T: +44 203 826 1807